


It Comes With the Claws

by TurnUps



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types
Genre: AU, F/M, Werewolf AU, and some swearing, but otherwise it could pass for a k+ rating, episodic, i only realised when i was proofreading theres quite a bit of blood, its kinda
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-31
Updated: 2016-10-31
Packaged: 2018-08-28 04:06:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 20,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8431252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TurnUps/pseuds/TurnUps
Summary: For the FMA Fandom Challenge 2016:At age twelve, Edward Elric had decided that angsty, brooding werewolves were completely overdone. He had joined a pack, and all these years later he doesn’t look back on his decision. He loves hunting every full moon for deer with his pack in Central City – it’s even better that he gets to share an apartment with his childhood friend Winry (the amazing automail engineer) and his brother Alphonse. However, Ed and Al don’t see eye to eye when it comes to lycanthropy and Ed’s falling for Winry.…Maybe angst just comes with the teeth and claws.





	

_Angsty werewolves were so overdone_.

Edward Elric decided this at twelve; one year after the bite that had turned him. Even at that point, he was done telling everyone 'how much it hurt' - ‘how much he felt like a monster’ - because it didn't. _He_ didn’t. Not _really_. If anything, it had _scared_ him. How - how exciting  changing was. How much of a rush it actually gave him. The hunting. He scared _himself_.

He joined a pack when he was twelve. And that was the difference, he felt, that drove his and his brother's opinions so far apart. He couldn't - wasn't - a lone wolf. He wouldn't fight it like Al would. He accepted it. He liked having a pack, of feeling like he belonged. Like it could all be normal. That it wasn't a curse. The rush and thrill of a hunt was okay. He could _almost_ like it.

Almost.

Because, it was kind of a pain to, in the midst of metamorphosis (which, of course, was the ultimate time to cheesily re-enact a cheesy movie), he always had to remember to flip the switch that would 'click-clack-whoosh' his auto-mail into a wolf’s leg instead. And it was kind of repulsive, he knew, to want to hunt so badly. The ache.

But it wasn't like he ate humans. This, he had explained to his little brother on multiple occasions. _It doesn't have to be - isn't -_ humans _. Deer will suffice._

His little brother ignored him.

They weren't on _bad_ terms - they loved each other - but that didn't stop Al pursing his lips at Ed when he went out to join the others, leaving Al to be chained up by Winry. That was even more cliché, but it worked for him and Ed was determined not to judge his brother for his decisions. Not too hard, anyway. (After all, they were still brother’s, and that’s what brother’s do.)

Winry was a godsend in that way. Winry, who had travelled all the way to Central _just_ to take care of them. (Though, Ed suspected, she couldn't resist the auto-mail shops at Central either.) Even if it was just Al who didn’t trust himself.

Regardless, Ed didn't want Winry to _go_. He _liked_ having her here.He _loved_ it. He liked _her._ He _loved_...

Though he knew that would get weird \- not because of any 'I'm a monster' cliché - because they'd always been friends - close friends - but just friends. What if they broke up? What if they _stayed_ together? It would get messy. Al would feel like a third wheel.

Not matter how hard he tried, Winry kept running threw Ed's mind as he lay there, the sun heating his back and his cheeks in the middle of the woods. Well that, and that he desperately wanted to move because there was a twig stabbing into his tummy, just left of his belly button, and that was excruciatingly painful.

But he was always scared he’d be the first one up. And he wanted to make sure everyone had covered up. 

Luckily, it seemed Hawkeye was awake, as when Ed regained more conciousness, he could feel that a blanket had been laid over him. He could never tell if Hawkeye was harbouring motherly concern, or just really didn't want to see _that_.

So, Ed rolled over and half opened his eyes. The sun seemed so bright it was bordering painful, but it could have been worse. It could have been winter.

Stifling a groan, but yawning instead, Ed sat up, pulling the blanket up around him almost like a toga.

Sure enough, Hawkeye was up and preparing a camp fire. They always had a fry-up over a bonfire after a night of hunting. She was already up and fully dressed, which never ceased to amaze Ed. _How c_ _an she be in control all of the time?_

"Oh, kid, you're up." The oldest member of the back, Fullman, said suddenly, walking up from behind Ed and ruffling the teen's hair. Ed's hair was long, gold and tangled with sticks and leaves from a night of sleeping on the ground.

"It’s easy for you," Ed grumbled, knocking Fullman's hand away good-naturedly. "You're always the first one to sleep."

"Well when _you_ get old and gammy, _you_ can rely on the youngins to hunt for you," Fullman replied, though his eyes were twinkling as he pulled on a shirt. He looked like he had dunked his head in a river \- by far the harshest way to wake up.

"Alpha and Beta are always in bed _last,_ so stop moaning." Another man, Havoc, said. He rolled over under his own blanket. His eyes were still half closed, but he was lighting a cigarette, which showed he was still alive and well.

"That's true," Fullman nodded respectfully to Hawkeye, who gave him a rare smile.

"Fullmetal might be alpha one day," she said. Almost teasingly, but with a glimmer of seriousness. It made Ed puff himself up and smirk at the other men. 

…To own a pack...to get to act like Mustang...

"Like hell the omega will ever be alpha." Havoc grunted under his breath, smoke puffing from his mouth in little clouds.

" _I'm_ not the omega!" Ed snapped. " _Furey_ 's the omega!"

He pointed to the still sleeping boy, who was, albeit older than Ed, less eager when it came to hunting.

"Right _now,_ I'm the alpha, so back off." Mustang's voice interrupted the playful banter.

Everybody froze, turning to Mustang. His eyes had been closed as he spoke, but now he opened them and examined them all in turn.

They narrowed at Ed, a cold and unforgiving grey. Not for the first time, Ed wondered if his alpha could read minds.

"Elric," he said slowly as he sat up, drawling the word out because he _knew_ just how much Ed was wetting himself. "Please say you brought the sausages."

The tension around the camp site lifted like a helium balloon and there seemed to be a collective sigh of relief. Mustang didn’t even have to get up to be terrifying at times.

"Of course," Ed said, as though it were now big deal. "I'll get them."

He managed to stumble over to where their bags were safely stowed in the undergrowth. Ed had only brought a rucksack, but Breda and Fullman always brought a whole suitcase. Whilst there, he pulled on a shirt and pants as quickly as he could, then tossed his backpack over to Mustang with a "here."

The man caught it easily, even though he was pulling on his own clothes, and eagerly looked inside it. He pulled out the shop brought sausages for the others to see. (They still had some leftover meat from the previous night, but, as delicious as sausages are, it's highly unappetizing home-make them.)

"Good job, Elric," Mustang said. He had a way of making everything he said sound slightly sarcastic. "Maybe you can become alpha someday."

"Oi - I brought hash browns," Breda grunted from his position - closest to the camp fire.

This, of course, sent the pack into a heated debate about the best element of an English breakfast, which woke both Furey and Black Hayate - Hawkeye's dog. (Also a werewolf - Ed had never asked.)

They all pitched into the breakfast, just like they all pitched into a hunt. Then they sat around the fire, the various items everyone had brought speared on sticks into a 'breakfast kebab'.

Despite the odd circumstances, when they were all sat around a fire, the sun a weak amber glow on the horizon, and the birds sounding like a radio channel, Ed felt content. The first few months of his tagging along had been awkward; it was the first time he hadn't been chained up and the sense of freedom had elated him. Everyone had been running rings to keep him in check until his blood lust calmed and he became rational again. They had told him, over chuckles in the mornings, the insane things his wolf self had got up to, and he had scowled and barked at them to shut up.

But he'd got used to it. Got used to them. He started to join in the banter, and now, even though they only met up once a month and only new each other's last names (for security - they also sounded like code names, which everyone agreed made them seem a lot cooler), they felt like family.

He looked round at everyone as he bit into the sausage at the end of his kebab. The pack consisted of eight people, which was about the average size. There was Mustang, the alpha, a dark haired individual who traded in sarcasm and prided himself on his cold, calculating glances, which were ever more chilling when he was a huge wolf the colour of the night. Although he teased Ed relentlessly just to see him get frustrated, he wasn't a bad _alpha_. He treated everyone fairly, knew their strengths and deep, deep down, genuinely cared for them.

Hawkeye, the beta, was the one who kept Mustang from getting out of hand. She had seemed cold and, frankly, terrifying the first time Ed had met her, but now that he had gotten to know her, he found her warm and encouraging. He frequently sought one of her warm smiles. It wasn't hard to imagine her as a sleek, gold-pelted wolf.

Fullman was the delta; a splitting image of a veteran. He always had a story; some vastly more interesting than others. Despite being mild-mannered and soft-spoken, he still took part in the banter. Just like how the grey-drizzled wolf could keep up with them and score a few kills.

Havoc and Breda, regular hunters - epsilons - were pretty laid back. But where Breda cared about winning poker, Havoc was more concerned with his love life. Ed guessed that he was one to play the 'troubled monster' card to win a woman’s sympathy. Nevertheless, they were inseperable and ruthless at Monopoly.3

Then there was Furey. Ed knew that Hawkeye had been eager for the two youong boys to make friends when Ed joined, but Furey had become closest to Black Hayate. He was inseparable from the pup. Ed and Furey did get on - they were both academic, but where Furey was calculating and cautious, Ed was reckless and headstrong and it was hard for them to get over their different tactics.

Despite all of their individual quirks, they bounced off of each other perfectly. It was hard to think of any individual as less than invaluable.

Thus, they ate their camp-fire breakfast heartily, discussing the highlights of the previous night’s events. The main point of discussion was the herd of deer they had chased – taking half of them down in the process. For such a small pack, it was a heroic feet. 

Of course, Ed managed to point out that he had caught the most rabbits by far.

To which Fullman responded that setting traps before hand didn't count.

Almost as soon as the food had been devoured, they all started to pack up and head back home. To normal, average-Joe lives. They didn't linger long, each haphazardly throwing things into their bags and calling a farewell before leaving. On the last day of the full moon, they would make wait a little longer. But it wouldn’t be long before they saw each other again tonight.

"Watch yourself, okay, Elric?" Mustang smirked, lightly punching the teen on the shoulder as he left after Breda.

"You too," Ed said. When he first joined, he would have never have spoken to the alpha like that. But now he was confident enough for his usual cocky, 'smart-alec' tone. And it was okay, Mustang just returned it. He only made threats sometimes, and they were half-joking.

It made Ed fell wanted. Like he belonged someplace.

 

* * *

 

It’s a strange experience to walk down the streets after only having a couple of hours sleep. Like a dream world. It was even stranger to walk down the streets after a night of being an animal. Of being a myth.

Ed felt detached from everything, as though he was the only man who could see in a world of the blind. Plato’s prisoner who had seen the sun, and if he tried to convince normal people, they may kill him.

He stopped by a coffee shop and brought breakfast for Al and Winry, before he headed back home. The three lived in an apartment in the centre of Central. The rent was cheap, because it was small and the water only worked if no one else in the building was using it and the lights flickered off at random a random time every night. But, with a couple of jugs, torches and blankets, they place had really come into its own.

He knocked once with the two of his boot, shuffled his bags around so that he could twist his key in, before kicking it open all the way. The hinges protested vehemently, but it stayed in tact.

His younger brother, Al, was lying on the coach, covered by a blanket. Although he was sleeping peacefully, his skin, laced with scars like the curves of puzzle pieces from the beast that had turned him, was pallid. His hair, just a shade darker than Ed's, was sweaty. There were deep bags under his eyes and Ed knew that his brother had had a much worse time than he had last night.

Winry was in her pajamas at the tiny kitchen, three foot away from Al at most. She was filling a huge mug, the one they'd gotten as a joke at an amusement park, with, judging by the smell in the air, extra strong coffee. She had jumped slightly at the door swinging open, but had not turned to face him.

"Honey, I'm home," Ed said dryly, placing the takeaway bag on the kitchen counter ceremoniously.

Winry 'shhh'ed him and gestured to Al, whispering "don't wake sleeping beauty", but then she smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. She hugged him tightly, burying her face in his still tangled hair. He couldn't help but think, as he hugged her back, how he must have smelt of smoke and dog and blood, and how she smelt of cinnamon and soap and home baking. Her hair was slightly damp from her shower.

"Good night?" she asked him when she leant back, stirring her coffee with a tablespoon, because the mug was just that big.

"Yeah it was-" Ed said. He couldn't resist a grin, but remembered to keep his voice down. "It was somethin'. You?"

"Al's having a harder time with it than usual," she said, her eyes on the sleeping boy on the sofa. Al was only a year younger than them. Usually he seemed older than them both, but when he was sleeping, he looked painfully vulnerable again. "There was a fight outside, and he heard it and he- well, he almost got out, Ed."

"Oh," it was all he could say, but it didn't quite convey the feeling of his insides freezing into ice shards.

"It made me think...what would happen...if he _did._ " Winry continued. She held the mug with both hands and it was at her lips, as though she was going to drink from it. But she didn't.

"You'd -" _call me._ Ed stopped himself before he said that. Wolf pelts didn't have pockets. "You'd-" _find a way out._ He stopped himself from saying that too - Al could hurt anyone if he got out. "You'd-" _shoot him._ That was never an option.

Sighing, he gestured to the takeaway.

"I brought you two some munchies," he said, leaning against the fridge.

Winry blinked, as though noticing the bag for the first time. Her attention turned back to the room. Gingerly, she reached out and peeled the paper away from the takeaway. Her face burst into a smile in less than a second.

"You're an absolute babe," she said as she pulled out the pastry that he'd got her. She took the coffee too, sipping from it, then the huge mug in turn.

Ed let his eyes linger on her face. She looked exhausted and her bottle-blonde hair was falling out of the hasty ponytail she had put it in. She looked completely gorgeous. She always looked beautiful. It was strange, to slowly realise that he was in love with his best friend from childhood. Sometimes he felt an uncontrollable urge to tell her how he felt, because his heart would explode if he didn’t. He had imagined every scenario – every reaction, he didn’t feel he had anything to lose.

"Hey, Winry," he said, then his mouth failed him and he stopped to gulp.

Winry made a small noise of confirmation and gazed up at him from the rim of her mug. Although she was tired, her eyes - sparkling blue like crystals - were very much awake. He opened his mouth, which had suddenly gone dry, again, but a sudden groan from the couch distracted him.

Ed turned and crossed to the sofa in three paces, Winry only a few steps behind him. Al's eyes, a murky brown as opposed to the amber of Ed's eyes, were half open. Ed watched, on tender hooks for some reason, as his brother groaned again and rolled onto his side.

Their eyes met.

Ed expected – needed? - to see anger, or hatred, or worse, disappointment in Al's eyes. But they were still half glossy with tiredness and, if the bruises on his wrists were an indication, pain. And underneath that… there was just acceptance. Al seemed to have come to terms with Ed's pack.

"You _stink_ ," _that didn't mean he had to like it._

"Sorry," Ed said. He matched Al's tentative, tiny smile.

"Seriously, what did you _eat?_ " Al moved his head, like he was going to sit up. It was barely a moment before Winry was helping him do so, the take-out coffee wobbling precariously in her hand.

"Ed went to the coffee shop down the road," she told him, turning back to the half-full bag on the counter.

"Uh, actually, I ate before that," Ed admitted. After three years, he still felt ashamed to let Winry know that. Like a reminder that he wasn't like her. That was when he was determined not to tell her about his crush; it wouldn't be fair.

A silence fell over the three, but for Ed it felt like an eternity. Was Winry's gaze darkening? Was Al sighing?

"I'm going to take a shower," he half-yelled, his words slurring into each other in desperation.

It was like the lights came up. He was just imagining things. It was just his paranoia. Al was yawning and stretching and Winry was taking another huge swig of coffee. _Everything was fine. Everything was normal._

"Okay," Winry said, almost bemused. Then she took on a stern tone. "Just don't leave hair in the shower drain again."

"I wasn't going to," Ed said slowly, then elbowed her as he walked past. "But now I just might."

He had closed the bathroom door by the time she'd gotten out "if you do, Edward Elric, I swear to God-", and he was glad that the ending of her threat was muffled.

Feeling sheltered and, for the first time in a while, genuinely alone, Ed started the shower and stripped off. It felt like shedding a skin.

He knew that Al would be telling Winry exactly what animal's blood he stunk of, and grumble again about how the pack stunk of cigarettes. Winry would ask 'was he sure he didn't want to join them' and Al would go quiet.

Al thought that it was his fault.

That they were both werewolves.

Ed knew that it was his own fault.

They were ten and eleven respectively. Al had always a light sleeper and that night was no exception. He had been tugging Ed's duvet until his big brother had woken up. Ed couldn't remember his exact words, but he had said something about not taking Al to the bathroom _again._ Al's words, however, he could remember perfectly.

"I heard a window shatter."

It hadn't mattered at the time why or how the window shattered, only that it was dark and the only other person in the house was their mother. It didn’t matter that they were only kids – the thought had made them desperate to help.

Ed could never forget the scream that he had heard. The scream of someone who couldn't stop them self. The scream of someone in absolute agony.

So Ed, now completely awake, had yanked his brother by the hand through the house until they reached their father's study. The window had been completely shattered, the glass shards twinkling like stars on the carpet. A hulking, dingy, raven coloured, hairy _monster_ was half on the floor, half on the desk. It was something with fangs that dripped dark, squelching liquid and eyes that looked like black widow spiders. Eyes that looked like death _._ It was the something that makes you wake up screaming from a nightmare as a child.

Only it wasn't a nightmare.

And the dark, _squelching_ liquid was from their mother.

She wasn't screaming any more. She wasn't _there_ any more. Ed only caught a glimpse of her eyes before he knew that. She was a husk. That moment was ingrained in his mind.

The next few seconds still remained only a blur. The monster had moved and he could suddenly hear Al screaming in a ghastly echo of his mother. Ed had grabbed something - he still didn't know what it was - and threw it. And he kept throwing things. Al was screaming and Ed was screeching and eventually the beast dropped his brother.

It turned towards him. Slowly. As though it was _enjoying_ it.

It had Ed’s leg in its mouth within one leap. Searing, tearing pain ripped through Ed like a tornado and he howled. His fingers caught around the last item on the shelf and he jabbed it blindly at the monster.

It was a letter opener. It didn't look like a letter opener1. It looked more like a dagger, with a little hilt that had glittering fake jewels set into it. It looked like a dagger when it was in the head of a monster.

The monster had shuddered like a wasp hive. Its jaw went slack. It released Ed's leg and toppled to the side, its blood mingling with all three Elrics' on the floor.

Ed had been in pain - in unspeakable pain - but he told himself it wasn't as bad as his brother's, who was lying on the floor in a bloodied heap moaning and sobbing. _It wasn’t as bad as Al’s. So he was the one who had to do something._

He had pulled himself into the hallway, crawling on his three remaining limbs, grasping for the phone like it was a lifeline. _Just reach the phone and everything will be okay_.

It had fallen off of the side table and he grabbed and punched in Pinako's number - he had known it before he learnt his own - and just yelled for help. Even when she told him she was on her way and hung up, he continued yelling.

They hadn't gone to hospital. They hadn't needed to. Pinako Rockbell was as good a surgeon as she was an auto-mail maker. Within a couple of days, both boys were alive and resting and not bleeding. Both scarred for life. But alive.

For the next month, Al woke up with nightmares that _he_ was the monster that had killed his mum. Ed had assured him that there was no way he was like that - that lycanthropy didn't work like that.

He had been wrong. Very wrong.

The next month, on their first transformations, they had fought each other because of the pure primal instinct flowing through them. Ed, being one leg down had lost to Al easily and though Pinako had managed to separate them into separate rooms2, it had been too late to save Ed's right arm.

Winry, eleven years old, had cried the next morning. She hadn’t stopped until dinner. Because she felt terrible for them, because she hated seeing them in pain, and - she told them this through hot, fat tears, because she was so _mad_. What she was mad at, Ed figured differently each time. He never did have the guts to ask her outright.

She had made his auto-mail laboriously, ignoring his complaints for the prototypes that didn't work as seamlessly as they needed to be. Winry, at eleven years old was attempting to make the first automail that would switch between a human limbs and wolf limbs. And eventually, she had it figured out. Excluding a few limbs he had outgrown, that was the auto-mail attached to him now, that he was drying meticulously. If it got rusty, or if water seized up the mechanisms, she'd have his head hanging over the door of her shop.

Once he'd dried off, Ed listened for a moment at the bathroom door. He could hear Al and Winry talking in low voices, Al sounding distressed and Winry sounding comforting, but he didn't strain to hear the words. He was only checking that he would be able to make the leap across to his room without being witnessed.

When he came back into the living room, Winry had finished one of her coffees, and was grabbing a pair of keys whilst slurping from the other. Al had swaddled himself in blankets as he read from a book the size of a tombstone, but at least he had the pastry Ed had gotten him in the other hand.

"I've got to head to work," Winry told Ed, shuffling her bag onto her shoulder as she opened the door. "Don't destroy the place whilst I'm gone, okay?"

"Wait, Winry," Ed dashed to the door, his wet hair sticking over his eyes. He managed to hold the door open as she slipped out. "Uh, when there's a new moon - um,"

She was waiting patiently in the hall, one eyebrow slightly raised, but her eyes were only making him more nervous. _Was he really doing this?_ What _was he doing?!_

"Erm, how about us - dinner?" he swallowed. His face felt like it was on fire and the nano-second he gave Winry to think made him absolutely sure she would just laugh at him.

Instead of waiting, he just slammed the door shut and took a deep breath. _He was an idiot. An idiot!_

"Finally ask her out?" Al's voice came from the mound of blankets.

"What?!" Ed yelped.

"Oh, come on, it was obvious you two fancied each other," his brother said, smirking at him, though he still looked under the weather.

"Well, how's _your_ little girlfriend doing?" Ed said, allowing his own smirk to shine through as he crossed his arms.

Al's cheeks reddened and he turned a page of his book without replying. A girl a few years younger than Ed had latched on to Al and started following him around. Al had entertained her, taking her to the library and ice cream shops, much to Ed's confusion and amusement.

Ed allowed himself a victorious 'humph’ at his brother’s speechlessness, before he crossed over to the sofa and sat down next to Al.

"Another medical book?" he asked, as conversationally as he could. There was always an awkward atmosphere when the two were left alone in the full-moon week. A great, hulking elephant breathing down their necks.

"Hm?" Al glanced up from his intent reading, "oh, no. Just some fantasy book I picked up. It had a wolf pack in."

"I see,"

"Yours work like it?" Al asked, marking his page - with a bookmark; he had always disproved of Ed folding down pages to find his spot - then showed Ed the blurb. Ed had barely read two sentences before he snorted.

"Yeah right," he rolled his eyes, leaning back on the cushions. "Our pack's way too small, for a start. Even if we did have all those ranks, there’s no way we'd treat anyone like that. We're a family."

"I distinctly remember you having a twenty minute rant about 'that damn bastard Mustang' last month." Al said. He raised an eyebrow, which still had a nick in it that had never grown back, and took a bite of his croissant.

"Yeah, well," _he's still better than_ our _dad._ Ed turned away so that he wouldn't be tempted to say it and wouldn't have to deal with the look on Al's face if he did. "You'd like it, if you joined."

"I'll pass," Al said quietly. Maybe if Ed hadn’t already been so reckless this morning, he would have taken the hint and left it at that.

"We'll buy veggie sausages for you," he pressed, nudging his foot against Al's leg teasingly. Alongside Al's 'no hunting' rule, he had come with being a vegetarian.

" _Brother_!"

Al very rarely lost his temper, he was one of the most patient and tolerant people Ed have ever met. So when he did raise his voice Ed swallowed his words. The two brothers stared at each other, both looking equally shocked and concerned.

Ed tried not to let his gaze linger on the three tight, white scars that started at the edge of Al's right eye and stopped at the left corner of his upper lip. Or the two that headed the other way, from his cheekbone to his chin, because it always brought a sickening twinge of guilt in his stomach that had not faded in intensity despite all the years. _He couldn't even look at his brother's face without wishing that he'd done something - anything - else that night._

The book had tumbled to the floor, but neither of them had really noticed the bang. Ed watched, his heart heavy, Al take a shaky breath and close his eyes for a moment.

When he opened them, he stretched out his arm, and Ed thought that he was going to pick the book back up, but instead Al's palm rested on Ed's knee.

"I know that look," he said, the tiniest, most forced smile tugging at his lips.

Ed's mouth opened but at Al raising his fingertips just slightly, he shut it again.

"A face for an arm, brother," he continued wryly. His had jogged Ed's knee ever so slightly; trying to make light of such a morbid sentence. They both found it hard to take the joke.

Ed ran his hand through his bangs. _Why did everything have to be so angsty? Didn't he say that angsty werewolves were boring?_

"Let's _do_ something," he said, swinging his legs off the side of the couch. "Let's go get ice cream."

Al made a face.

"People will stare," he muttered. "The scars are more obvious this time of month."

That was true, the scars always took on a red tinge when the full moon was out.

It was true, but he couldn't _know_ that.

"No they won't," Ed said, too late. Al had already turned away. He slid his arm over his brother's shoulders and pressed their temples together. "If anyone looks at you funny, I'll punch them in the face."

"Brother!" Al was scolding him, put laughing at the same time.

"Come _on_!" Ed laughed too, tugging Al's elbow toward the door.

They both stumbled up, Al only just grabbing the keys from the hook before Ed had pulled him out of the apartment.

Because Ed had needed to get out. They both had needed to get out. And ice cream made everything better.

So they headed back down the stairs to ground level of the apartment building. They lived in the middle of Central; making them spoilt for choice when it came to food.

The Elric brothers had found their favourite place just a few weeks after moving to Central - _Cheska's_ \- and they hadn't the heart to go anywhere else. Cheska, the young girl who had got the place off the ground, was so scatterbrained that it was hard not to love her. She'd panic every time a customer walked through the door, but she tried so hard to deliver great service no matter what.

She knew their order off by heart now - two large Neapolitans \- and gave them a large smile when they sat down.

"You both look chipper this morning," she said, placing the two huge bowls in front of them.

They didn't. They really didn't. They both looked like death, but either Cheska wasn't noticing that or she was being extra kind. She had always turned a blind eye to their abnormalities and Ed was grateful for that. He wished he could ignore their history so easily.

People kept giving Al curious glances. They had both noticed and Ed knew that Al wouldn't be able to hold on unless he did something drastic.

So he drenched his ice cream in strawberry sauce and pretended it was blood. He made loud, embarrassing sounds like a small child and intimidated a husky, heroine’s voice.

Al couldn’t help but laugh at his hijinks. Ed couldn't help but blast him a wide grin - revealing further sauce on his teeth. When all genuinely laughed, he sounded so blissfully joyful that it swelled Ed's heart whenever he heard it. 

He wished his brother could always be happy like that.

"Alphonse!" a sudden, girly voice broke through their brunch.

A moment later, a tiny, doll-like girl was at the side of their table, her eyes wide at the sight of Al.

Ed raised his eyebrow at his brother, resting his chin on his fist. Al looked slightly embarassed, but he managed a genuine, kind smile at the girl. She was about as tall as he was when he sat down.

"Mei," he greeted her, completely bemused.

"I thought you didn't come out during a full moon," the young girl said.

Ed couldn't resist a snort of laughter.

"Don't be silly - Al only chains himself up at night," he said, with just a hint of sarcasm. Despite the reality, he had meant it as a joke but Mei's dark eyes went as wide as saucers.

"Really?" she gasped.

Al gave Ed a flat look over the table - a 'thanks for that' look that Ed couldn't help but wink at.

"Mei, this is my brother, Edward," he said instead, avoiding her question expertly.

Mei turned to Ed and blinked at him with those huge eyes. The longer she looked at him, the more disgruntled she seemed to get, until she was downright frowning at him.

"You're not at all like I imagined," she seemed to grumble.

Ed raised an eyebrow, his gaze darting to his brother's, who shrugged.

"What did you imagine?" Ed asked slowly. He wasn't sure he was going to like the answer.

"A dark, brooding rake to be reformed," Mei almost seemed to sigh, fiddling with the end of one of her impossibly long, silky, dark plaits. "You'd be dangerous and uncaring - and tell me that you could kill me effortlessly."

"Killing you doesn't make me special," Ed took another bite of his ice cream. "A deer almost killed Havoc once."

"What?" it was Al's turn to look surprised. "You never told me about that!"

"Happened before I joined," Ed shrugged, his mouth full of chocolate ice cream. "So if I'm the beast, does that make Al the beauty?"

"Al does fit the trope of the angsty, reluctant werewolf well," Mei agreed, looking almost thoughtful. If she wasn't so earnest about it all, Ed wouldn't have tried to hide his laughter so much.

"Mei," Al's hand touched her arm and she turned to him in the moment that it took him to grasp her hand. He was no giant, but she was so small her hand disappeared in his. He handled her so gently, as if she was a precious jewel - which she could be, in his eyes. "There's a reason you came over,"

"Oh - yes - I forgot," Mei nodded, her other hand grasping Al. She looked at him like he was the sun. (Or, more fittingly, the moon.) "I've been continuing research for a cure; but since it’s so common and accepted in Xing it’s been hard for me to find anything. Anyway, I think I might be onto something if you were -"

"Wait a minute," Ed held up his hand, his brain playing catch up from her quick speech. "A cure for lycanthropy?" he turned his searing, golden gaze onto Al. "You want to be cured?"

"You don't?" Al replied. His voice was soft, but there was also a judgement there. As though the crack between them caused by their past was opening up into a rift.

"I want things to go back to the way they were, Al," Ed said. His tone practically mirrored his little brother's. "But that's not going to happen. Is it?"

The words held in the silence. The two brothers stared at each other over the table. Not quite glaring, but an awkwardness had appeared. They both wanted to say something, but were holding back because they were in public. Mei could sense it, and it made her shiver, even though Al's ice cream was mostly melted in the heat of the day.

"Mei, do you want me to help you out with research?" Al asked after a while, but his eyes didn't move from Ed's.

"Um," Mei's eyes flicked between the two. Like she was asking the correct answer. "Sure?"

"Okay," Al said simply. He stood slowly. "Thanks for the ice cream, brother."

His arm slipped through Mei's and her face flushed crimson.

"Al," Ed stood too, his face contorting with frustration. "I didn't -"

"It's okay," Al said, and his voice was gentle. It was clear by his face that he was genuine. "I just - I think I need some time with Mei."

"Okay," Ed said slowly, his eyes flicking over Al's face, cautious, but searching.

"See you," Al nodded, starting to lead Mei away by the elbow. She craned her neck to bid him farewell.

"Bye! It was nice meeting you!"

For all the sincerity, she didn't give him a second glance. Ed sunk back into the chair. _This day wasn't going well. He and Al just kept rubbing each other up the wrong way. What was wrong with him? They were always so_ close _._

Ed shovelled Al's leftover ice cream into his bowl and started scooping it into his mouth, watching them head off with a fist on his chin. Al had stopped and given an Eskimo kiss to Mei. The action was so cute; so tender...he must really care for the kid.

He wondered if Winry would give him Eskimo kisses.

Just the thought gave him butterflies.

 

* * *

 

Al had never factored having a girlfriend into his life. This wasn't some young adult novel; despite what Mei thought. He wasn’t the kind of guy who attracted girls - something about his scar-covered appearance tended to cause that. 

But here she was. His girlfriend. And he loved it. He loved her.

There was something light about her. Carefree and innocent, that made his chest feel warm. There was some strange feeling that he needed to protect her - protect her ‘light’ \- that he couldn't quite understand. She was just so small and sweet and earnest...

Al couldn't keep away from her.

And _she_ welcomed the attention; practically revelled in it.

"Alphonse..." she asked now as they walked along the street. "...I thought you said you got on with your brother."

"I do," he assured her, that little smile that came to his face whenever he looked at her appearing again. "I do...it's just...been a stressful day."

Mei moved her arm so that her fingers - so small compared to Al's - squeezed his.

"I'm sorry," she said, her Bambi-eyes wide with concern. "I wish I could do more."

"Mei, you help more than you know," Al told her. He felt like kissing her forehead, but still wasn't sure exactly what their boundaries were and felt all too self-conscious. _What would people think about such a cute, young girl being with, well, him?_

Mei smiled at him, but she didn't seem to believe him.

But, really, since he met her, things had been a whole lot brighter.

They had met, ironically, at the same place to which they were now headed; the library, a couple of months ago.

Al had been studying, his eyes flicking from his notebook to his textbook, when he noticed something in his peripheral vision. His gaze had rose to meet Mei's. Crimson had spread across both of their cheeks like a flame.

Al's eyes had quickly swivelled back to his notes. It wasn't unusual for people to stare at him - it happened when you looked like he did \- so he tried to ignore it.

And he tried to ignore it the next day.

And the next.

Until he noticed that it wasn't fascination or fear on Mei's face. It was interest. It was the way sappy teenagers in love looked at each other.

That made Al's face flush again and he tried a small wave at her. It felt odd to be the centre of someone's attention.

As soon as he'd waved, she had disappeared like a ninja.

The next day, however, she had crept to the end of his table, hiding behind a huge leather bound books and occasionally stealing peaks at Al.

Al, now oddly amused by the whole situation, had pretended not to notice and desperately tried to keep the smile off of his face. He tried to concentrate on his work, when he'd heard her voice for the first time.

"You're left with three oxygen and two carbon."

She'd said it so clearly, her eyes earnest and confident.

"You think so?" Al had replied, half-amusing her.

But then he'd really concentrated on the equation and found she was right. _This kid was as good as he was!_

"How did you do that?" he asked, to which he got and embarrassed shrug. "You're, what, ten?"

"I'm fourteen, thank you very much!" she had snapped, flames practically appearing in her eyes.

Al had apologised profusely, feeling all the more awkward, because, now that he knew she was only a couple of years younger than him...he allowed himself to notice how pretty she was.

 _And she was interested in_ him _._

They'd gotten to talking about chemistry and the little differences she had studied whilst in her Country, when she'd suddenly dropped her voice and used her huge leather bound book as a cover for her mouth.

"I know what you are."

Al had froze, a smile still stuck on his face.

Then he forced himself to exhale. _How could she know? She couldn't possibly know._

"What am I, then?" he had asked, using the polite tone he talked to strangers in.

"You're a werewolf."

Al had blinked at her, for a moment not registering her to be correct. He'd been begging - praying - that she would say anything else.

She hadn't even asked. She had just stared at him - completely and absolutely sure that she was right. It was almost as though she was daring him to argue against her.

"What makes you think that?" he had tried to ask it as though it had just amused him, not made his heart race. _She’s joking. Just joking._

Mei had rolled her eyes and stated off the reasons why it was so _(so)_ obvious that Al was a werewolf. But then, finally, she had added.

"And I was raised with them."

Al had relaxed, and Mei had continued speaking. In her country, Xing, werewolves were bred specifically to fight in the pack wars. She had fled from her pack before she could be initiated and was determined to find a cure.

Maybe that was why Al wanted to be close to her. Because she was so determined in her goal and so brave to leave her home.

It was incredible that this girl was reaching for something that he'd never even thought of.

The least he could do for her now was hold the door to the library open for her.

She led him over to _their_ table like an excited child showing their parent their work. There was a mountain of books piled like a fort and scribbles on scrapped pieces of paper.

"I was actually heading out for a snack when I bumped into you," Mei said, half to herself. "But since you're here I can show you what I've got so far."

"Sure," Al said, sitting just close enough next to her on the bench that their thighs touched. It was just such a comfort to have human contact.

Mei shuffled a couple of pages, then pulled one closer. She was about to read form it, but then she paused and turned to Al.

"Do you really chain yourself up, Alphonse?" she asked.

God, she was one of the only people that called him Alphonse and it sounded so nice.

Still...it wasn't the question he had wanted to be asked. He was silent as he pulled a book towards him and opened it to the first page, then he gave the briefest nods.

"That way I can’t hurt anyone." he got the courage to mutter.

Mei's finger traced across his wrist, over the faint scars that laced it.

"You couldn’t hurt anyone Alphonse," she murmured. "It gets easier. They all said it gets easier - if you just try-"

"I won't need to if you've found a cure," Al cut across her. He didn't want to talk about it with her. Ed, maybe, but not Mei. Her feelings were so black and white and his were so grey.

Because at the end of the day, it was part of his identity, not a curse...and he wasn't quite sure whether he wanted to lose it. It would completely alienate him from Ed...it just wouldn’t be the same.

"Of course," Mei murmured, pulling some more textbooks towards her. "Here it is."

But Al knew, before she was even halfway through explaining her newest theory, that it wouldn't work.

And he wasn't sure if he was relieved or not.

 

* * *

 

Ed avoided Winry for the whole day. He thought it would be easier on her, not to have to reject him face to face. They could just forget about it; he'd come back tomorrow and everything would be back to normal.

Well, as normal as they could be.

Ed had just nipped back to the apartment to grab his things, then he had let himself wander the streets of central. He observed other people and tried to pick up clues about them; make up stories for their lives. Wonder what it was like to worry about normal things.

Eventually, he had reached the woods. He had kept wandering, even though it was barely dusk.

As a result, he was the first of the pack to reach the clearing in which Mustang's pack usually met. He decided to sit on the log in the middle - right where Mustang usually sat. He could be kicked off later.

Five minutes later, he heard footsteps. He braced himself…

"Hey big guy," a voice called, and Breda appeared out of the shadows, a bulging carrier bag over one arm and a duffle bag on his back.

"Hey," Ed said, not moving from his spot. "What's in the bag?"

"Breakfast," Breda shrugged. "How did you feel about bacon pancakes, chief?"

Ed was practically salivating at the thought as he grinned at Breda, but he didn’t reply due to a firm smack to the back of the head.

"Off my seat," Mustang said simply.

Ed didn't need to be told twice. He hadn't been hit very hard, but it was enough to motivate him to slink away like a scolded puppy.

"Keeping it warm for you, Mustang," he said. He gave Mustang a crooked smile, who merely raised an eyebrow in response, as impassive as ever.

Breda was chuckling and Ed would have glared at him had he not felt so nervous about his predicament.

"Funny, I remember a kid around Ed's age that used to do the same thing," Riza appeared from behind Mustang, as she so usually did. Ed doubted that the two were ever more than ten feet apart, even if you couldn't see one of them.

Mustang didn't reply. It might have been the setting sun, but Ed could swear that the alpha blushed ever so slightly.

Ed's attention was diverted however, by both Black Hayate cocking his leg on the log, and the arrival of Havoc, who brought the sharp smell of tobacco with him like a cloud.

Over the next few minutes, Fullman and Fuery arrived, both looking dog tired. The sky had turned lilac colour, the full moon no doubt appearing on the horizon. But they had a little time to poke fun at each other and make unrealistic claims at the feats they would complete tonight.

Then Mustang gathered their attention, as serious as ever.

"Al right, we had a nice warm up yesterday, but now it's time to get serious. I don't know about you guys, but I really want to chase something and, more importantly, catch it," Mustang was right, Ed thought, he himself had almost chased after a stray cat earlier just because it had moved unexpectedly. "And since the good citizens of Central have been moaning about an influx of deer, I feel like that's what we're going to chase tonight."

Fuery and Havoc caught Ed's eyes and they all looked at each other half-eagerly and half-nervously. Deer were tasty. But they were also difficult to bring down; everyone had to work together as a pack. If any one person slipped up, they'd lose their meal and have to stalk rabbits instead.

"Last night was good. But I know we can catch more. We have to push ourselves, people."

"Okay, okay, Mustang," Havoc pretended to yawn as he checked his watch. "Any more pep talk and we'll all have transformed already."

"This is serious, Havoc." Mustang's dark eyes were devoid of the usual sarcasm or cynicism.

"We understand, Mustang," Riza said from behind him, mostly because she was one of the only ones who could appease him. She put her hand on his shoulder. "We'll work our hardest."

The rest of the pack nodded at her sharp glare. It was enough to turn Ed's legs to jelly. Riza had this look that you just couldn't mess with.

"Great," just like that, Mustang was wearing his trademark smirk. "Then get ready, everyone."

So they did, heading from the clearing to ‘transform in the bushes. Seeing each other naked was one thing, but it was just kinda gross to see each other mid-transformation and all _Island of Dr Moreau_ -esque.

Ed sat down in his sheltered patch until he felt a familiar tug in the bottom of his stomach. Not really like a plug, more like the drop you get on a roller coaster.3

His fingers searched for the button on his auto-mail desperately, whilst they were still fingers.

His arm clicked out, folding in and out on itself until his arm and leg looked like Den (Winry’s mutt)’s fake leg.

He heard Havoc howl in the distance. He thought it was funny and that it would scare townsfolk and new werewolves, but the only people he scared were birds.

Turning into a werewolf wasn't particularly painful, nor was it 'like shedding his human skin to become the monster inside' (a cliché that he and Al still giggled over); it was more like changing skinny jeans for tracking bottoms. You were still you, just more comfortable. 

There was also a lot of audible bone popping, so if you didn't like cracking your knuckles, it would probably be a less enjoyable experience. Ed, however, loved the bone popping.

Within a minute, Ed had transformed fully, shaking his eyes to clear his vision. The change to night vision always made him a little light headed.

Werewolves much larger when compared to regular wolves, and Ed wasn't a particularly big wolf (though he would never admit it), so he was about the size of a wolfhound, with the thick pelt of a husky. His fur was a golden colour, like his hair.

He waited in the moment, his ears pricked and alert, for the signal.

Sure enough, after a moment, he heard Mustang start howling and darted towards the sound. Navigating the rocks and roots had been difficult at first, but just like he adjusted to his fake hand by playing piano, he had adjusted to his canine limbs.

As Mustang came into view through the trees, Ed slowed, pressing his body closer to the floor and lowering his ears and tail. At first, he had been too prideful to pay his respects to the Alpha in such a way, but after the rest of the pack gave conspiratory growls and Mustang nipped him on the ear, he had swallowed his attitude.

Tonight Mustang was waiting with his head and held high. Riza was by his side, her amber eyes mirroring his so that between them they were analysing the whole clearing.

The rest of the pack slunk through in the same manner that Ed did, all eyes on Mustang.

He waited, his dark eyes watching them approvingly. Then he dropped his tail slightly, a sign that meant ‘at ease, soldiers’.

They watched as Mustang and Hawkeye sniffed the air, looked at each other, then darted in different directions.

Ed sniffed too. Sure enough, he smelt a handful of deer nearby. The ambience of the forest threatened to hide their sounds, but Ed's hearing was acute enough to separate them. Adrenaline started pumping at the mere thought of chasing a deer. He could practically see it’s tail darting through the woods. A white star, a guiding light…

...Then the deer seemed to start running on its hind legs. It looked all too much like a human and the blood lust that so often accompanied werewolves started to settle in Ed's mind.

Mustang's shoulder rubbed against his. It brought him back to reality. Back to the control and the safety of the pack. But it was also a sign for Ed to follow him.

Fullman, now a grizzled grey wolf and Breda, who was rounder and chestnut coloured also tagged along behind, whilst Hawkeye led Havoc, Fuery and Black Hayate the other way.

They trotted in a triangle formation, their eyes and ears pricked for their quarry.

There was a skittering sound. Just a hoof touching rock, but it was enough for Ed's mouth to start salivating. To sink his teeth into it's neck...

Again, Mustang seemed to pick up that one of his members was off track, because his haunch butted against Ed's. They met eyes for a moment, then Mustang turned his snout to the dry leaves on the ground impatiently.

 _So he wants me to do the grunt work_ , Ed grumbled to himself. They didn't have telepathy, but they were close to it. Deep down, Ed knew that it was to stop him getting so distracted, but he still resented it.

He pressed his nose to the ground, following the scent of the deer as Mustang had commanded. The deer had passed through this area. The scent led to lost fur and footprints.

The three swiftly followed the tracks, mindful to stay upwind of the animals. It was a tedious process. But it was easier to keep his mind on registering the marks made by the deer than to let his mind wander into blood lust.

Eventually, they made it to the crest and found themselves overlooking the deer. There were four of them, grazing leisurely.  It amazed Ed that they could be so relaxed when their death was nearby.

Mustang flattened himself to the ground, a signal both for the others to do the same and to wait.

The wind picked up, carrying the earthy smell of the deer to Ed, and he licked his lips impatiently. He couldn't help a small whine in the back of his throat, to which Mustang gave a deep, warning growl, his eyes intently on the other side of the clearing. Fullman made a small noise, the wolf equivalent to a laugh, at the exchange.

Finally, the other team arrived. Ed couldn't see them, but he knew they were there because Mustang suddenly rose on his haunches, his muscles tensing.

A second later, Mustang was darting at full speed across the clearing. Ed followed eagerly, the others close on his tail.

Hawkeye's team came out of the bushes from the left hand side of the clearing, effectively trapping the deer as they started to flee.

The pack encompassed the deer, herding them through the trees.

Then he saw Mustang and Hawkeye dart inwards and took his cue. From across the pack, Fuery leapt inwards in time with Ed until they were brushing shoulders with one of the smaller deer.

Ed was glad that he ended up paired with Fuery, because he knew that Fuery wouldn't take he kill. In the next instant, he was on top of the deer, digging his teeth into it's neck. Blood filled his mouth, overloading his senses. It felt like there was electricity inside him.

But then something crashed into his shoulder, knocking him off of his feet. He hit the floor sideways, his mouth full of blood and fur.

Red faded from his vision and he clambered to his feet. His eyes darted around to account for what had happened.

The deer were gone. Mustang and Hawkeye were glaring daggers at him, on either side of a carcass that was oozing thick blood onto the grass. Ed could smell it and his stomach rumbled, but he knew it wasn't the time to go for it.

Fuery was also stumbling to his feet, sending wounded looks at Ed, who returned them impassively. It was clear what had happened. They had both gone for the kill at the same time, with disastrous results. A pack had to be completely in sync, or their kills would be ruined. 

The thought that he'd let the pack down was enough to make his ears and tail drop.

He watched Hawkeye and Mustang exchange a look that could have been a thousand words, then the alpha turned to the two younger wolves.

For a moment, the two quivered as Mustang stood before them. Then, he gave Ed a sharp nip on the ear that made him yelp involuntarily.

He glared at Mustang, gesturing his head towards Fuery, since he was getting off scot-free.

But, Mustang just gave him a stern look, gesturing towards Fuery before stalking away.

The rest of the pack followed him. Fullman gave the pair a regretful glance, before he too loped off into the shadows.

The meaning was clear - _you two track down the deer. You two bring it back tonight._

Fuery glanced at Ed nervously, as though waiting for his response. But Ed was angry, tired and sore. He followed the deer's tracks without looking back, a low growl in the back of his throat.

Like a lapdog, Fuery followed. His body was low to the floor, as though he was intimidated by Ed.

The trail of blood and footprints were easy to follow through the forest.

Eventually, the stinging in Ed's ear faded and he allowed Fuery to catch up with him. Now that his initial anger had faded, he felt bad for trying to steal the other wolf's kill. 

So, as Fuery passed him, following the heady scent of the deer's blood, Ed whined and rubbed flank against him.

Fuery pressed back against Ed, accepting the apology. They pushed against each other, now almost playful, to see who could remain on their feet the longest. Light fur on dark and dark fur on light.

There was a sudden skitter of stones nearby and a sound like a crying child.

Immediately the two wolves sprung into action, recognising the sound of a wounded deer. They sprinted after it, the adrenaline of the hunt rising in their chests once more.

It was stumbling along, struggling to stay conscious with the wound in its neck. An easy kill, even for a lone wolf.

Even so, the pair split up on either side, corralling it into submission. This time, Ed stayed back and let Fuery take the deer's neck in his mouth, effectively ending it's life.

As always, when the kill was completed, the killer rolled in it's blood. It was hard to say why, just that it was an unfathomable urge that all werewolves had.

Ed watched from the other side of the deer, pawing the ground to distract himself. It was hard to hang back when a fresh kill was still lingering in the air.

There was a playful growl and a tug on his tail. Ed turned with the intention to bite his attacker, before he realised it was Fuery, looking between Ed and the corpse. He made the same playful growl and Ed knew, if he was human, he knew they both would have been grinning at each other from ear to ear.

He joined in with Fuery, the two of them getting completely splattered in the warm blood. It was horrific, but at least it was only deer.

The play fighting soon began. The two were of similar age, even more so when wolves, but this was the first time they had ever felt _close_ to each other. Like pack-brothers. They fought to push to the floor, nipping teasingly and growling jokingly all the while.

It was a good half an hour before they even started moving the deer back to their base. Mustang and Hawkeye had obviously sent someone back to dump their carcass, as the deer from before was lying there too, like a discarded toy.

After the job was done, the two shared a look, then threw their heads back and howled. It let the others know that they were searching for them and wanted to regroup.

A minute later, they heard the response howl of the pack. Then Ed let out a playful yip - an _'I'll race you_ ' - and the two dashed off into the forest.

Despite the shaky start, it was going to be a wonderful night.

 

* * *

 

 _It was an awesome night,_ Ed thought as he walked back to their apartment the next morning. They had feasted on practically a whole herd of deer - so in sync with each other that  the rumours about telepathy could have been true. And, obviously, the bacon pancakes in the morning were incredible - and made all the better by the fresh venison. Ed was starting to get a taste for it.

It had been obvious to the rest of the pack that the dynamic between Ed and Fuery had changed significantly over the night. A side effect of being close as wolves meant that they felt more comfortable around each other as humans, such that they were almost draped over each other as they ate. With the pack growing closer than ever, an eight wolf bundle seemed to be on the horizon. Ed had felt almost protective of Fuery, as though he was the older one and not the other way around. He wanted to protect him in the way that he couldn’t protect Al.

Things had gone from cool to awesome as Mustang was bullied into doing 'his Thing' by Breda and Havoc. Ed had watched curiously as Mustang took a box of matches from his pocket and demonstrated a dozen small fire-eating tricks, the flames angry and red against the soft colours of the morning.

Where the boys had clapped Mustang eagerly, no doubt adding to his already inflated ego, Hawkeye had sighed and rolled her eyes. She may just have been pretending though, because her hazel eyes twinkled and she had given him a firm hug when they parted ways.

All in all, the night had left Ed feeling satisfied, like the feeling in your tummy after you eat a huge, warm dinner.

As he walked back to his apartment, however, a sense of dread began to kick in. He had managed to duck Winry's response to his stupid question yesterday by avoiding her - but now he had no choice but to face her.

There was a slim chance that she wouldn't bring it up and instead continue as though nothing had happened. That would be okay. He could live with that.

But it was Winry so she was probably going to milk it for laughs for all she was worth.

Perhaps Al would come to his rescue…

Al would probably keep his head down and snigger under his breath at Ed's misfortune.

It was hopeless.

Ed didn't knock as he reached the door. In fact, he tried to open the door as slowly as possible, thinking that maybe if he moved slowly enough, Winry wouldn't notice him.

 _So far so good,_ he thought, daring to take a step into the apartment.

Al was splayed out on the sofa again, covered in a mound of blankets. Winry was sat at the kitchen counter, her head in her hands. Her golden hair spilled out around her and two pencils stuck out from behind her ears like horns.

He froze. Maybe she was like a T-Rex; she wouldn't see him if he didn't move.

A most unladylike snore sounded from the lump that was Winry.

Ed breathed a sigh of relief, starting to his own room. But then he paused and looked back. _She was working herself too hard again...he should check if she was okay…despite the cost._

It felt like he was signing a death warrant as he crept up and shook her shoulder gently.

"Winry," he murmured. "Winry?"

Winry grunted, shuffling away from him out of instinct. She seemed to come to her senses, because her two eyes appeared through her hair like a bush baby. 

"You okay?" he asked gently.

"Tired," was all she said in reply.

With a huge effort, she pushed all of her hair off of her face. One of the pencils clattered to the floor, whilst her hand found the other one and she placed it on the paper she had been laying over. There were a number of diagrams and equations that Ed vaguely recognised but couldn't piece together. (He was an chemist, not a physicist.)

"Did you bring coffee?" Winry murmured. Her voice was low and dry.

Ed could have kicked himself! _Why had he forgotten? He was such an idiot!_

"Uh, no." Ed said bashfully, feeling his face heat up. "Not today. Sorry."

He had wanted her to look annoyed. To scold him. But she didn't. There was a flicker of something in her eyes that he couldn’t interpret.

"It's fine," she said with a huge yawn. "'S my day off anyway."

"I just got distracted-" Ed had started talking over her but stopped when she mentioned her day off. _It was Saturday already? Where had the time gone?_

"Good night with the pack?" Winry asked, a small smile on her face.

"Yeah, yeah - it was -" he stopped. The grin on his face disappeared. Suddenly he felt guilty for having such a good time when Al and Winry had been stuck here. Probably not having the times of their lives.

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself," Winry stretched and slid off of the bar stool.

She started towards her bedroom door, but then turned and fixed him with an odd look.

"Ed, we need to talk about yesterday," she said. She was using the soft tone that teachers use when they're trying to break bad news to a student.

His heart dropped. _He had been so close!_

"Look - we - we don't have to - let's pretend it didn't happen, okay?" he said. His face felt like a volcano's primary chamber.

"That would be a shame," Winry replied. She was absently plaiting a strand of tangled hair. "Seeing as I was going to say yes."

Ed's brain shut down for a moment. Like a computer that needed to be restarted. Then the system rebooted all at once.

" _What_?!"

Winry took one look at his eyes - as wide as saucepans - then sighed.

"Oh Edward," she said, pushing her hair back once more. "For someone with fancier sounding qualifications than me, you can be really dim sometimes."

He wasn't sure what to say. He managed to stammer out the beginning to a couple of sentences but only succeeded in turning his cheeks beetroot red.

After a minute, Winry rolled her eyes and held up a hand to stop him.

"Let's go to dinner together. As more than friends. Next Saturday." She said. An almost dangerous look was in her eyes.

"O-okay," Ed found himself nodding. Then he grimaced. "But you know I always feel a bit shit the week after..."

"Yeah, Ed, and I feel a bit shit before, after and during my period, but I suck it up like a man." Winry snapped.

Then she turned away, the shower turning on a moment later, leaving Al to snicker at Ed from his bundle of blankets on the couch.

"Oh, shut it Al," Ed said. He knew that wasn’t powerful enough, so turned on his trademark 'teasing-older-brother' smirk. "How was _your_ little date?"

"I wish you wouldn't patronise her like she’s a foolish child," Al frowned. Only his face could be seen - poking out of the duvet like a full moon. "Mei's a nice girl. She's just as smart as I am and she really cares about me."

Ed wasn't sure if that was a dig at him.

"Why didn't you bring Winry coffee, brother?" Al continued in a small, quiet voice. "You always bring her coffee."

"I...I forgot, okay?" Ed stammered. He felt uncomfortable. To relieve the tension, he collapsed on the sofa and tugged the duvets over his legs. "How did you sleep?"

"What sleep?" Al replied. He smiled weakly, obviously hoping to get away without answering. Ed didn't relax his gaze. "I fell asleep around four; after I'd rubbed my wrists raw and licked the blood off to quench the thirst."

Ed looked away. Half of him felt guilty that he wasn't sharing Al's pain. The other half of him was resentful that Al wouldn't see his way of things. He was about to open his mouth, to repeat yesterday's words, when Al seemed to read his mind.

"I'm _not_ joining a pack, Ed," he said, almost dangerously. "I don't want to...to... "

Ed's eyes narrowed.

"To forget to bring coffee to Winry," Al managed to finish. "Or forget to come home one day. I don't want to forget my _friends,_ brother."

Ed was completely stunned for the second time in five minutes. But this wasn’t the nice feeling of love reciprocated. It was much more painful. _Did Alphonse really think so little of him now?_

"It's -" Ed broke off. "Al, look, it's not like that. Geez, I forgot to get coffee-"

"Yeah. You forget coffee today. Then you forget to come home another day … and … where does it end?" Al said. His eyes bored into Ed's.

"That's not going to happen," Ed ran his hands through his bangs, pushing all of his hair back. He could feel his temper rising and fought to keep it down.

"Can you promise me that?" where Ed's volume was rising, Al's was falling. His voice was so small...almost scared.

"Yes." Ed said immediately. His temper was bubbling and he let it fly. "Maybe if you stopped moping around like a cliché; you'd see how great having a pack is! They don’t moan about me and they treat me like family - more than you do!"

With that, he stormed out of the apartment, only pausing to sling his backpack over his shoulder.

The door slammed satisfyingly behind him. Plaster fell in a flurry from the ceiling in the hallway.

Ed's anger lasted until he had stormed down the staircase and was standing on the street.

There it faded, like a cold wind. Maybe he shouldn't have left. Maybe he had over reacted. He had definitely overreacted. He had definitely lied. Guilt curled in his stomach like smoke.

But he couldn't go back and apologise. Like a child who runs away and comes home ten minutes later, tail between their legs. He couldn’t go back. Not yet.

But what could he do?

 

* * *

 

 

Al stared at the door Ed had left from. They didn't usually argue like that. They teased each other and occasionally snapped at each other; but not such a spiteful argument like that.

Their words kept playing over and over in his mind. _W hat should he have said? When he should have just stopped talking? _

It only made him feel worse.

Somewhere in this, he drifted off to sleep again, for when he jumped awake, there was golden light streaming through the windows. Al felt disorientated, separating half-dreams from reality, as one usually does after a nap.

He clambered up to check the time and found that it was mid-afternoon.

Usually, Ed and Al worked at a specialist science university nearby, but with the full moon playing havoc on their body clocks, they took the time off or phoned in sick. It was a wonder no one caught on.

Today it was much too late to go in to do any work. Instead, Al raided the cupboard for snacks and took a cold shower. There was still no sign of Ed. 

With a towel over hanging around his neck, he phoned the university to check if he'd been in, to no avail.

When Winry came home, her arms full of the food-shopping, Al took some of the bags and told her in a tight, trying-not-to-panic voice that his brother was missing.

For a moment, Winry frowned. Then her expression cleared.

"I'm sure he'll be back in time for dinner," she said nonchalantly.

"But what if he's not?" Al pressed, feeling anxiety brewing in his stomach.

"Is there something you want to tell me, Al?" Winry asked, putting her hand on his shoulder. He guessed he was easier to read than he thought.

"We had a fight," Al admitted. "About the pack. Again. I \- I don't think he's coming back."

Again, the worry only crossed Winry's face for a moment before she murmured "he'll come back," there was a pause, then she said, more softly; "He has to come back."

She squeezed his shoulder, then asked if he wanted to help make dinner.

Al said yes. He always said yes. He liked to be helpful and hated that Winry would come home from a day at work just to end up cooking for them.

But he also loved how she would turn the radio up too high. How she would dance to jazz songs and get him to join in, spinning her around or pulling him around the kitchen floor, both of them slipping in their socks. It made him laugh. Made him feel like he was wanted. Made him feel normal.

Tonight though, there was the slightest strain to Winry's voice, the slightest reluctance in her movements. Like a crucial part missing from a machine.

Like Ed's moaning and eye rolls were missing.

Al couldn't guess how she was feeling. It was obvious that she had loved Ed for a while. For him to finally realise and take the chance in getting together...and then to leave unannounced...she must have been feeling deeply wounded.

But Winry - wonderful, optimistic Winry - kept smiling. Kept cracking the same awful puns as they waited for Ed to come.

He didn't.

They sat down for the evening, heavy textbooks balanced in laps, the lamps low and the conversation soft and sparse. Ed still hadn't come home.

As the sun was starting to set, Winry got up and stretched. She looked out the window in vain.

"He'll be joining up with the pack now, anyway..." she said, though her voice was strained. "He'll probably be back tomorrow...in the meantime,"

She turned to Al. And his heart sunk. It always did at this time. He dreaded it but it was yet to come up with an alternative.

"We gotta get you locked up, hun," Winry said with a small smile.

"Of course," Al said ruefully, standing up and stretching with a groan.

Al kept the chains at the bottom of his wardrobe. They were old and had lost any metallic sheen they once had, but as long as they stopped him hurting others, he was fine.

He supposed.

 

* * *

 

 

Hawkeye knew something was bothering Ed within ten seconds of seeing him as a wolf. She rubbed her pelt against him and kept him close to her as they ran in a pack, in a motherly attempt to make him feel better.

It helped a little, but also had the opposite effect. He felt guilty. He'd insisted to Al that the pack didn't come before his family.

But they were still _like_ his family.

He followed Hawkeye, though he paused to bat Fuery playfully around the ear. Fuery tugged lightly at Ed’s tail in retaliation, before bounding after Mustang.

Havoc aimed a swipe at Ed for being distracted, so he leapt under Fullman, who growled as Havoc’s hit connected with him instead.

At a short, low bark from Hawkeye, the play fighting ceased and they followed her through the brush.

Ed concentrated on the smell of the deer in front of him. On where the rest of his team was. On how fast he was going.

He felt wildly alive; barely seeing the foliage around him.

Until he heard his name.

He paused for a moment, cocking his ear to the side to hear better. It sounded so clear.

Ahead of him, Hawkeye, Fullman and Havoc skidded to a halt, pebbles flying down the trail as they turned their heads also.

Hawkeye cocked her head too as she looked at Ed, then gave a low, harsh bark for him to get moving.

He could have sworn...

He shook his head to clear his thoughts, starting to follow the pack again -

When it sounded again.

His name.

Was that...Winry?

This time, the others heard. They sunk lower to the ground, ears swivelling for a sign of danger.

" _Edward_!"

At the sound of her voice, Ed threw his head back and howled. It was instinct.

The others joined in after a moment, filling in the gaps that Ed took to breathe.

A sound like a deer crashing through the bushes came from in front of them and the howling ceased. Moments later, a dishevelled Winry broke through the bushes.

Her hair was falling across her face, tangled in its ponytail and she was pale and panicked. There was a large cut on her leg that was oozing blood onto the grass. It seemed to glow crimson against the dark surroundings.

But what was she doing here?

Ed ignored the blood; though it flared in his vision like a dazzling light and made it hard to focus.

Instead, he pressed his hide against it to stem the flow and woofed to ask Winry what was wrong.

"Edward," now that she had stopped, she was panting. Her eyes darted over the other wolves as her hands searched through Ed's pelt. Her fingers grasping fur. " _Alphonse got out! Al escaped!_ "

His ears pricked upright. He didn't need to be told any more; his imagination was already running wild enough already.

Ed turned to Hawkeye and gave a bark to show his alarm. He bowed his head in respect to ask permission for a time out but Hawkeye had already brushed past him and was sniffing at Winry's clothes.

Once she had picked up Al's scent, she pointed her snout in the direction Winry came from, ready to accompany Ed in the chase.

Ed gestured his snout from Winry to the others, starting to trot after Hawkeye, but Winry tugged at his haunches.

"I'm coming with you," she said. Her voice unwavering.

But Ed still shook his head. He showed her his metal paw, hoping it conveyed what he wanted it to, before gesturing to Fullman and Havoc once more.

Fullman had padded over and pressed his snout into Winry's hand. She finally nodded as she relaxed against him. She looked exhausted. Maybe she had wanted to give in.

Then Ed was following Hawkeye, a ghostly streak, through the woods. He could smell Winry's blood, but also the scent of Al's fur. It had been a long time since he faced Al in wolf form.

Within no time they were out of the woods and streaking through the back alleys of Central. Every now and then Ed heard a scream that chilled his soul. Screams meant police and police meant locking Al up.

Ed’s paws were suddenly hitting the pavement so hard that they seemed to burn. He overtook Hawkeye in a matter of minutes, darting down the alleyways that he knew like the back of his hand.

That was where they traced Al to. A tiny alley as close to the city as he could get. There were screams sounding around them, but thankfully they were only from a woman hanging out of her window on the third floor.

When she saw two more werewolves running up the alley, she promptly fainted.

Al was head deep in the bins and there was a selection of chicken bones surrounding him. At least, Ed hoped they were chicken bones.

Ed didn’t pause, he ran until he was able to jump onto Al’s back. His jaw clenched around the scruff of his brother’s neck; not hurting him but pulling him away from the bins. His paws scrabbled for purchase on Al’s fur, only a shade or two darker than his own.

It was useless. In seconds, Al had rolled onto his back and Ed was sent sprawling, slamming into the forgotten bin with a crash. Al’s adrenaline and frenzy at being free made him much stronger and unpredictable.

As Al leapt at him, his pupils dilated and blurred, Ed braced his paws to throw him off. The two ended up sprawling in the gutter, cold water splashing against hot breath. Ed’s auto-mail paw slipped in the water and he gave a yelp of pain as he felt Al sink his jaws into his shoulder.

The two scrambled, claws and teeth flashing in the dark light, before Hawkeye leapt in with a graceful swoop. She knocked Al from the top of Ed and he sprawled in the amber light of a street lamp.

Dazed, with a number of places throbbing, Ed scrambled to his feet to help Hawkeye immediately.

After a few seconds, he cocked his head in confusion.

Hawkeye wasn’t battling Al. Quite the opposite, she was pressing her flank against him like he was her cub. She firmly paced her head and fore paws on top of his, pushing his head down and holding him there. Al snarled and kicked against her, but she held firm.

Ed was amazed that Hawkeye could hold him down. He half-wondered why she wasn’t the alpha when she was clearly so strong.

He wanted to leap in to help, but he caught Hawkeye’s stern look in his direction and lingered by the bin. His shoulder stung painfully in the background of the chaos.

Eventually, Al stopped thrashing underneath Hawkeye. His hind legs sunk beneath him until he was lying on the floor, his eyes half closed.

Ed dared to take a step closer, and saw that Al’s pupils were no longer dilated. He no longer looked like a monster. Instead, he looked vulnerable and scared. He was almost shaking under Hawkeye, who now released him from underneath her and rubbed her head on his. Ed took it as a sign that it was safe to approach further. This time, Hawkeye let him.

He ducked his head so that he could look Al in the eye - and they were Al’s eyes. Ed whined reassuringly, then pressed their snouts together.

Al let out a higher whine in response.

Ed could feel his tail wagging as he sniffed at his younger brother. They, no surprise, smelt similar and Ed found that he had missed this. Or rather, he had been missing this. There was a stronger bond when you knew someone as a wolf. An understanding that Ed couldn’t find with any other person.

Hawkeye got off of Alphonse, pressing against him so that they were headed back to the forest.

That was when Ed heard the sirens.

He blocked the bone pile as they passed, beating his tail against Al, who was smaller than he was.

Al was keeping his head down and he was still making small sounds of distress.

But the two pack members either side of him gave him comforting pats until the sirens sounded too close for comfort. Then, Hawkeye spurred the two boys into a run.

Although Al was doubtless tired, his eyes lit up in the chase. The fear of the police being round the corner at any minute. The race.

By the time they reached the forest, Ed knew that he would love hunting with them.

Winry was lingering on the edge of the trees, half draped over Havoc. Her face lit up as the three wolves approached.

As one, Ed and Al brushed up against her, almost knocking her over.

The rest of the pack appeared a minute or two later, dragging plenty of carcasses between them. If Ed was human he would have ran towards them yelling "now? Really? Why couldn’t you wait five minutes? Can’t you see this is a delicate situation?!"

But he wasn’t a human. So the most he could do was give an angry warning bark that was ignored.

As soon as Al got a whif of the smell of blood, he had darted onto the fattest deer carcass, tearing at it ruthlessly. He made a complete mess and ate most of the night’s hunt.

It was only when he had eaten his fill that he came back to his senses. He started at the blood on his paws and whined - still scared. The other wolves, of course, reassured him by rubbing against him and encouraging him to share with what was left of the meal.

Mustang, however, pretended to be angry and nipped at the Al’s ears gently. Al, completely ashamed, hung his head in shame, to which Ed pretended to start a fight with Mustang.

Winry actually let out a shriek when Mustang bit the scruff around Ed’s neck. He was almost large enough to pick him up like a wolf cub.

 _This was how it should be._ Ed thought, gnawing at a rabbit’s leg, whilst Winry scratched him behind the ears. Al was at his side, tentatively letting Fuery and Hawkeye lick him. _All together. As a family._

And when they settled down to catch a few hours of sleep, Ed, Al and Winry lay together. Ed couldn’t help but feel happy that Al had broken free - both physically and metaphorically. Maybe now things would be different. Maybe Al would join the pack as well.

Maybe everything was starting to come together.

 

* * *

 

 

He certainly felt that way when he woke up that morning. His little brother by his side, looking well-rested for the first time that week. He felt that way when they were eating breakfast, the banter flowing easily around the slightly larger group.

When they got home, however, it was a different story.

Winry was taking a shower, muttering something about leaves being disgusting bandages and ‘were werewolves useless’ and if she left all that dirt in the wound she would be making auto-mail for herself.

Al was sat down on the sofa with a face that made Ed linger in the doorway.

"What’s up?" Ed asked, half-dreading the answer.

"I could have killed someone last night," Al said in an even voice. He was frowning slightly as he fixed Ed with a serious look. "You expect a couple of laughs to make me forget that?"

"No," Ed replied slowly. He inched into the moth-eaten armchair. "I expected last night to show you what being a werewolf is _really_ like. That you can control yourself, given time. You don’t have to tear yourself up every month."

Al’s eye level dropped. The chains were still lying on the floor, in shrapnel parts. Ed refused to look at them.

"You’re right," Alphonse said after a long time. "When my head cleared…it was actually fun."

"But?" Ed continued for him, knowing it was inevitable.

"But I don’t belong in _that_ pack," Al finished, his eyes finally snapping back to Ed. He spoke like it was painful to say it. He must have seen something on Ed’s face, because a few seconds later, he shook his head. "They’re nice but…they’re not _my_ pack. It doesn’t matter - the full moon is gone. We don’t have to talk about it now."

Ed didn’t think he could talk about it now. It felt as though he’d been slapped in the face with a cold fish.

Was he really that bad at reading his brother?

It seemed that Ed had hesitated on his answer too long, because Al gave a long, exasperated sigh and got up.

"I’m going to see Mei - tell her that everything is okay. Explain…some things. And then I’m heading to work. What about you?" he said.

"I’d better head in too, I guess," Ed muttered. He still felt stunned. Maybe working was the better option. It would clear his head.

So, he scribbled a note to Winry that she probably couldn’t read because his handwriting was like a drunk spider tap dancing in ink. Then he headed out with Al.

At least he wouldn’t have to worry for another month.

 

* * *

 

 

Six days later, Ed was stricken with panic and worry.

Because as he’d come home, bone tired with hair falling out of its plait, Winry smiled from the cogs she was tinkering with on the kitchen counter.

"I hope you’re going to clean up a little before we go out to dinner," she had said sweetly.

Ed had blinked at her. The cold fish slap returning without an invitation.

"Edward," here, Winry had dropped her voice and frowned at him. "You said we were going to go out for dinner tonight. Our date. Remember?"

Crap! That had come already?! He didn’t even remember!

"What - what about Al?" he managed to stutter. _Was he really looking for an excuse not to go on a date with Winry? He had wanted to go on a date with her since forever! Why was he trying to get out of it?!_

…Maybe because every time he looked at her and thought about a date his stomach lurched like it was dropping through the floor on an elevator?

"I’ve put some stuff in the oven for him, all he has to do is take it out when he comes home," Winry replied. Then she pointed a finger at him. "Now shower. Please."

He didn’t tell her that was what he was planning to do anyway. That would just give her too much satisfaction.

So, he showered and put on one of the few shirts that he owned and retied his plait three times just to make sure it was neat enough.

But Ed still felt he looked too shabby for a date with Winry.

Especially when she barged into his room and demanded if he was ready or not. She’d curled her hair and was wearing a laced-top blue dress he didn’t even know that she owned. And Ed, being male, could not tell if she was wearing make-up or she was just pretty enough to glow when he looked at her.

He tried to say, ‘yeah, ‘course I’m ready babe - what about you?’, but it came out as a series of stammers and he didn’t get beyond the first three words. His mouth felt as dry as sandpaper.

This was so much worse than being cursed with lycanthropy!

Winry rolled her eyes at his general incompetence, though she smiled and took his wrist.

"You look pretty!" he managed to blurt out.

"Let’s just get going," she mumbled, her cheeks pink as she lead him out of the apartment.

It was only when they were walking down the street, and Ed’s face had cooled down to warm, that Winry paused and turned back.

"I don’t suppose you remembered to book a reservation anywhere?" she asked.

For a moment, Ed blinked at her. He still couldn’t believe this was actually happening. _On a date with Winry…_

"Uh, I was just thinking we'd get Chinese." Ed murmured.

Winry raised an eyebrow.

"Really?" she asked. "On the first date? Chinese?"

For a moment there was an awkward silence filled only by the screaming inside Ed’s head. But then Winry grinned and slipped her arm through his.

"It’s like you read my mind," she said.

Of course, they had a favourite Chinese joint in Central3. It was basically a staple for living in the city on small wages. It was a cute little place that hung red paper lanterns outside and golden blossoms printed on everything.

Ed and Winry sat under the blinking electric light, a huge bowl of noodles before either of them, and watched out the grease-streaked window at the passers-by.

"I bet that guy’s not wearing anything under that," Winry spoke through a thick mouthful of noodles at a shady character in a trench coat.

"I bet it’s a pink thong," Ed muttered.

Winry laughed so hard that she choked on her noodles.

"That girl is thinking she’d rather become a crazy cat lady than date another guy like him," Winry managed to say when she was done coughing.

This time it was Ed’s turn to choke.

But then he frowned a little.

"You’re not thinking that…are you?" he asked.

Winry’s eyes softened. She reached over the table and placed her hand on his.

"Oh, Ed, of course not. I love you, you know that," she said. Just hearing the words made his heart glow.

He couldn’t help the words from jumping out of his mouth.

"I love you too."

As soon as he said it he kicked himself. But she just gave him a smile as though he lit up her world.

"But-" the both said at the same time.

"It’s not that different, is it?" Ed finished.

For a first date. It was basically what they did every Friday night with Alphonse. Just without Alphonse. It was almost laughable.

And yet, it felt like they had been dating forever.

"No," Winry seemed to take a breath. Her thumb rubbed against his hand. "But, Ed, I’ve been thinking…"

He stared at her, panic suddenly rising like a tide.

"I’ve been living with you and Al for a while, and I’m probably _going_ to live with you for a long time," Winry was watching Ed like he was a bomb about to go off and that only made him terrified. "And now that Al’s going to be all right as a wolf…well…I was thinking… wouldn’t it be better if I was a werewolf too?"

Ed’s chopsticks fell against the rim of his bowl and stayed there.

"Winry," he swallowed, but it still felt like there was an egg in his throat. "You say that like it’s nothing."

"You’re always telling me it _is_ nothing," Winry countered.

"It doesn’t go away. You’re stuck with it for life," Ed said. His first instinct had been to say no, but a small voice inside him was saying yes. _Yes, she could be your beta. You could start your own pack. Wouldn’t it be better if Winry was a wolf too?_

"I know, Ed. And I’m not taking this likely. I’ve been thinking about it for a while. I mean, Ed, lets be honest I’ve lived with two werewolves since before I could say lycanthropy. At least if I’m a wolf I get to hunt with you, and, well, I saw how you all were last night and it was touching. There was something there that I’ve never seen between humans…" Winry’s hand turned Ed’s over and laced her fingers in his. "I could truly understand you…communicate with you."

Ed pulled his hand away.

He frowned at the table.

"I know this may be a shock," Winry continued. "And I know you probably don’t agree, but I don’t see how we can keep this going when such a huge chunk of your life is cut off from me."

"Maybe I was happy keeping it a secret!" Ed said.

He realised how deeply he’d hurt her only seconds later. Winry’s hand disappeared from the table.

"I mean," he ran his hand through his hair, gritting his teeth together. _This had started off so well!_ "Shit, Winry, can we at least see if this dating thing works before we’re bound like that?"

"How is it any different from how we’re bound together now?" Winry said, leaning back in the wooden chair, looking at him as though he were a stranger.

"Wolves mate for life," Ed said. He felt as though he was explaining a simple fact. "There’s a loophole if you’re human but-"

"You’re jumping ahead of yourself, Ed-"

"Me? You’re the one who suddenly wants to be a wolf - that means _all_ of it!" There was a slam on the table. Ed realised it was his fist and took it off, feeling his cheeks heating up once more.

"Yeah, but I never said I wanted to _mate_ with you!" Winry’s own cheeks had turned hot pink.

" _You’re_ the one who said yes-" he pointed at her.

"-To a date -" Winry shoved his hand away from her.

"- You just said you’d be living with us for a while -" Ed felt himself standing.

"Not necessarily as your wife!" Winry stood too.

"You said you loved me -"

"- _You_ said you loved _me_ -"

" _If you loved me you’d let me do this for you!_ "

They had both yelled it at the same time, completely red in the face.

Then there was a silence. It seemed to settle over the whole restaurant but in reality everyone had already resumed eating.

Ed let his breath out. He counted to ten. Once more, he found it hard to look at Winry, even though she was staring at him, tears welling in her eyes despite her furious blinking.

All he could think about was leaving.

So he did.

The bell tinkling as the door swung shut behind him.

Winry’s legs collapsed beneath her and she thudded back onto the chair, the tears spilling over like a river. Her hand was shaking as she placed it over her mouth, begging her sobs to be silent because she did not want to be _that_ annoying, noisy, crying woman who breaks up in the middle of a Chinese restaurant on the first date.

She didn’t even know why she was crying so much. It was just an argument. She always argued with Ed.

But this one felt different. Like she’d blown their chance. Like it was irreversible.

It felt like a long time before she could breathe without breaking down, but when she could she headed to a payphone outside. It rung twice before someone picked up.

"Hello?" a girl’s voice on the other line asked.

"Hi, Paninya?" Winry’s voice felt hoarse and weak. "Can I stay at your house tonight?"

 

* * *

 

Ed had been thudding his head against the door for five minutes when he was pulled away by the shoulder by Al.

"The neighbours have been yelling about the noise, brother," Al said. "What do you think you’re doing?"

"I messed up," Ed all but howled.

"Ah," Al said, with a small smile. "Well, I always expected you two to argue more than be happy."

"I talked about mating on the first date! Who even talks about _mating_ on the first date?!" Ed demanded. Al suddenly turned serious - serious , and a little concerned. "It's just - she started saying all this stuff about being a werewolf and forming a pack and I just - I got so - and I guess we were on completely different pages and - I'm such a God-damn idiot, Al - the fu-"

"Hold on a moment," Al said. He grabbed Ed's shoulders, forcing him to calm down and look his little brother in the eye. "She mentioned a _pack?!_ "

" _She_ didn’t directly…it was kind of just implied?" Ed paused , and frowned at Al. "You don’t seem very surprised by all this."

"Well she had mentioned it before…" Al said. He bit his lip as though he were holding back a secret. His hands loosened on Ed’s shoulders and he wasn’t looking him in the eyes. "I mean of course I tried to dissuade her…but you know what Winry’s like…"

"Yeah, I know that she’s smart and level-headed and sensible and hard-working-" Ed said, feeling miserable once again.

"Wow, you’ve got it bad, haven’t you?" Al snickered.

"Sh-Shut up!" Ed snapped.

"Anyway, now I’m thinking it’s not so bad an idea," Al said thoughtfully. "I mean, I’m ready, I guess, to hunt with a pack. And with Winry and you…well it’s enough people, isn’t it?"

Ed scoffed.

"There’s still our territory to worry about…" he stopped. "Hey - No! Winry can’t become a wolf!"

"Why not?"

"Because-"

Ed couldn’t find a reason he was sure Al couldn’t tear to shreds.

 _I don’t want her to have to hunt._ We do. Is it that big a deal? You’re always telling me it’s not a big deal. She’s used to it.

 _I don’t want her to be like us._ You’ve been telling me for years there’s nothing wrong with the way we are now. We adapted. She’ll adapt. Just like she always has done for us.

 _I don’t want her to regret it._ We didn’t have a choice. If she does, she knows what she’s doing. It’s not like she doesn’t know what she’s getting into.

What was your long term plan, Ed?

"Shit - I don’t know - I just know it’s not a good idea." Ed gritted his teeth. _Really? That was his excuse? It was worse than the others._

"Or is it just a new idea?" Al asked.

There was a silence. Neither were really looking at anything in particular. They had both become lost in their own thoughts.

"That kid the other day," Ed muttered eventually.

"Mei?" Al raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Ed said. "She said something about a cure-"

Al held up a hand and shook his head.

"It was nothing. A false lead - I didn’t tell her that, of course," Al let out a small sigh, as though he pitied Mei for her innocence. Ed sure did. "Besides,"

Al paused, then his copper eyes met Ed’s.

"I don’t think I want it any more."

 

* * *

 

When Ed came home from work, he found Winry sat outside her apartment. Her knees we folded against her chest and her head resting against the door.

Both he and Al stopped as soon as they saw her.

She had heard their steps and was hurriedly getting to her feet, straightening her crumpled shirt and pushing her hair back in an attempt to be dignified. She took a huge breath, but all that came out was a meek "hi."

"Hey," Ed replied. He tried a small smile to show her that he was happy to see her though he was all too aware that it looked more like a smirk so he dropped it.

"Winry," Al ran forward and gave her a tight hug. "Where have you been?!"

"I," Winry paused as he pulled away. "I stayed with a friend."

"Didn’t think a machine-freak like you had them," Ed said before he could stop himself. He felt his cheeks go red. The jibe had just slipped out. _She finally comes home and I just act like a total jerk._

Thankfully, Winry just flipped the bird at him and continued talking.

"But, I forgot my keys. I’ve been stuck here since Paninya went to work." Winry said. She was smiling slightly but she wasn’t quite meeting Ed’s eyes.

"What would you do without me?" he asked sarcastically as he fished his own keys from his pocket.

Suddenly Winry’s hand was over his as he turned the key in the door.

"i don’t know," she whispered so quietly that he wondered if he had really heard it.

One look at her showed him red-rimmed eyes and he immediately softened.

"Come in, let’s have some hot chocolate," he said, slipping his fingers - his real fingers - through hers as he kicked open the apartment door.

They had always had hot chocolate as children when they were feeling sad. Pinako would make it and drop marshmallows on them long after they had giggled "enough." She’d always make a huge pot pie the next day…

…Ed should have learnt how to make pot pie.

"Ed, I want to talk," Winry inevitably said as she followed him in, her free hand taking Al’s and all of them then had to shuffle. "Like calm, sensible adults. About all of this."

"Sure," Al said before Ed could, already pulling mugs from the cupboard. They had so many old, jokey ones that they were practically stacked three-high.

After the hot chocolate was made, the three sat at the table in silence. Ed and Winry kept glancing at each other, waiting for the other one to start.

"Well, Edward, I think that me being a werewolf is really the most logical future for everyone," Winry started, she fiddling with a bolt that was left on the table as she talked, though her eyes never left his. "You and Al will be leaving me every full moon now and I refuse to sit idly at home and wait for you to come back like I _always_ do. It’s just not fair. I wasn’t born to be flipping Snow White - and from what I saw yesterday, we’re very much a pack already, only I’d hope that we mean more to you than…" she paused, bit her lip for a moment, then continued speaking. "And I don’t see it as a decision that I’ll regret - just one that’ll make us closer together as a family - _I_ want this for me. You’ve just got to trust me when I say that _I_ know this is right for _me_."

"Winry, it’s just-" Ed said. Then he glared at his brother. "Al, you’re going to have to look away."

"What?!" Al stared at the two of them, as though his favourite show had just been cancelled.

"I can’t say it with you looking at me," Ed said.

With a tremendous sigh, Al swivelled on his seat so that he was facing the wall, muttering an ‘I’m part of this family too.’

"It’s just," Ed started again, his fingers brushing against the back of Winry’s knuckles. "The idea of you not being here makes me a little nervous. You’ve always _been_ there, at home, waiting for us. You’re what I return to. The idea of you waiting is what gets me through the night. And the thought of you _not_ being there…it…scares me a little."

"But that’s the thing," Winry’s hand turned over and her fingers laced into Ed’s, the bolt squashed between their palms. "You’ve never had to wait up all night. I can’t sleep, Ed. Would you be able to wait for me to come home?"

For a good minute, Ed didn’t think that he’d answer her, but then, very softly, he answered with;

"No."

They continued to stare and just as Winry was starting to smile hopefully, Ed dropped her hand.

"But I still don’t think we should rush into this," he said. "Why don’t you just start out by heading out on a hunt with us?"

"What, and ride on your back like a teen book heroine?" Winry said sarcastically. Obviously, she was less than impressed with the idea.

"It beats sitting around here, doesn’t it?" Al asked, still facing the wall.

"Exactly," Ed smirked, victorious.

"You’re going to make me wait two months? At least?" Winry asked incredulously, narrowing her eyes at them both.

"I don’t want to bite and run," Ed shrugged.

"I agree," Al piped up, then turned back around. "Remember how long we thought about moving to the city?"

"It took like a day and then you burnt down your house," Winry said in a flat voice.

"Bad example," Al said. "Okay, what about choosing what auto-mail shop to work in?"

At first, Winry had only one offer for an auto-mail shop, but as she grew in skill she became somewhat famous in Central, many other offers had started to come through and the three had stayed up half the night every day that week discussing the pros and cons of a movement. (Eventually deciding that Winry’s first position - Garfiel’s - was the best, even if it stunk of perfume.)

And at the mention of it, Winry had to agree with the two.

A decision had been made. Winry would accompany the two on their hunts the next month…and the month after that, Ed would have to decide properly about Winry being a werewolf.

 

* * *

 

 

It turns out, the decision wasn’t that hard to make - Winry, though handicapped because of her limited night-vision and human hearing and smell, was a natural at tracking down deer and co-ordinating their attacks. There was a sharpness to her tactics that reminded Ed of Hawkeye.

As soon as he told Mustang that he was going to take a break and focus on hunting with his brother, Ed found that he really missed the jumble of misfits. Things just weren’t the same with the three of them. They weren’t bad… just different. More intimate. More special.

Everything was already so different that Ed didn’t have time to freak out about it. He was a person who didn’t adapt that great to changes once he was settled down - but this situation was more of a ‘thrown-in-the-deep-end’ kind and he was being swept away too much to worry about being able to swim.

Events just seemed to unfold; Winry was determined, stubborn and good at working with them - all of which just made Ed adore her more.

He had still harboured reservations about her transformation, but after many long talks with both Al and Winry, he came around to the idea and only two months later Winry became a fully-fledged member of their small new pack. A werewolf.

Because they were a pack now - a very small pack, but one nonetheless. Ed had explained this to Mustang and Hawkeye, who had given each other a bemused glance, but allowed him to leave on the condition that he would still hunt with them at least once a month. Ed had agreed willingly, still very much in love with hunting with them all; the bigger pack was less homely and basically his only chance not to be stuck with his girlfriend and his brother. (Because no one wants to be around family _all_ the time.)

Al had to make the sacrifice of his vegetarianism and he admitted to Ed whilst they were playing a card game one evening, that he couldn’t bare to live without ribs.

He told Mei that he wasn’t chaining himself up any more, but not that he was out hunting instead. He also hadn’t told her that if there was a cure to lycanthropy, he probably wouldn’t use it. He said she’d been confused, because she’d never met a werewolf like him.

Ed thought that Al spared that girl’s feelings too much.

 

* * *

 

About six months later, however, they ran into some more Xingese wolves.

The night had started normally, the three of them running side by side. Ed trying to concentrate on running and not Winry’s sleek, sandy coat. Tried not to remember the way her tail would tap his nose playfully when she was trying to get around him. He tried to concentrate instead on the herd of deer in front of them.

In fact, Ed was just about to pounce on a deer when he found himself tackled to the ground.

His limbs flailed and he flared his teeth, scarcely able to see through the thick, black fur. It was Winry who succeeded in pulling the enemy wolf off.

The smaller black wolf had spun straight back around to face them, snarling. Her dark eyes glittered in the darkness.

Winry’s eyes shone too, her body low as she growled at the intruder.

Upon hearing a warning bark, Ed had spun to see Al faced with his own attacker, this one an ancient grey wolf.

The three had instinctively backed away from their pursuers, drawing into a tight triangle.

But then the older wolf had barked warningly at his companion and bowed his head in submission to the three. He looked almost embarrassed.

The darker wolf half-whined, half-growled at the elder, who ignored this. He was instead gesturing with his snout to the wolves and then outside of the clearing.

Ed, interpreting this as a move to steal their kill, growled in a warning.

Al, however, had cocked his head to one side and approached the two wolves wearily, Winry followed Al’s instincts and nudged Ed with her shoulder to get him to calm down.

Whines and barks had been exchanged by Al and the two newcomers, before Al and the older wolf had picked up one of the dead deer’s, with the intention of pulling it out the clearing.

Possessive of his kill, Ed stood in the way, the growl returning to his throat.

The smaller, dark wolf had returned the growl, looking as though she would like nothing more than a fight over the food.

Winry, however, stood between them. She didn’t even have to growl. She just gave them both a stern look with her sparkling blue eyes.

The two younger wolves slunk along behind, their noses twitching at the smell of the deer meat and dirty looks being exchanged. Winry tried to pacify Ed by rubbing her flank against him and although he licked her muzzle in return, his hackles had remained raised.

Eventually, they had come to the edge of the forest, a position which put all five wolves on edge. Lying in the tree line, however, was a large, black wolf.

He seemed immobilized, his eyes were half closed, his stomach was growling and he was groaning pitifully. Ed saw now that they had only been asking for a share of the hunt, to satisfy him.

This was their Alpha…really?

As soon as the starving wolf smelt the deer, his eyes perked up and he dug ravenously to the deer.

Ed glared at Al, knowing that their own supper would be ruined by crows by now. Al just gave him the equivalent to a wolf shrug - _what did you expect me to do, brother? Not help someone in need?_

Winry had nudged the two as she turned, effectively telling them to leave the three alone.

Still, the only thing that they had caught that night had been a couple of slow rabbits and Ed was bitter as he fell asleep that night, his head in a bush to show he was ignoring them. (Winry had cuffed him around the ear in the morning, but had allowed him a bacon muffin all the same.)

Now, Ed was staring at the Xingese man standing outside their apartment, the door frame shining around him, making the contrast of the dark, scruffy ponytail and the yellow, baggy clothes all the more startling.

"I came to say thanks for your help last night," the strange man declared, like that explained everything.

Ed couldn’t help it, he shared a confused look with Winry, who gave a wide-eyed, bemused shrug in return. _Obviously not one of her customers._

Then Ed noticed the short old guy and the young girl standing behind the weirdo.

The girl’s eyes were what had jogged his memory.

"That collapsed wolf," he said, earning Al’s attention.

The three stared at the visitor, unsure of what to make of them. Usually people kept their wolf lives separate from their normal lives; but here this guy was, boldly declaring that he hadn’t been able to hunt for himself the previous night.

"Well," the guy said. He blinked at them. "Are you going to invite me in or what?"

Ed was ready to give him a piece of his mind, but Winry placed a hand on his elbow. Her left hand. Ed’s fist unclenched at the sight of the ring on her finger. The one with the sparkling topaz. ("Just like your eyes," she had said, smiling at him when he finally had the courage to give it to her.)

"Sure," she said , "In fact, I was just finishing up an apple pie."

"Great!" the guy gave a toothy grin, and strode into their apartment. "Thanks for the offer!"

Ed, closing the door with gritted teeth, still couldn’t quite decide if he liked the guy or wanted to rip him apart.

The three took seats around the kitchen table, the guy looking expectantly at the oven and his two companions looking somewhat embarrassed. With their usual seats taken, Ed and Al rested against the counter. An awkward silence fell over the apartment.

"So," Al bravely started after a moment. "You’re from Xing?"

"That’s right," the guy said in a sing-song voice, his eyes still fixed on the oven, but they widened at Al as he continued in a childish whisper. "We’re on a quest."

"Not to be rude, or anything," Ed said, in a tone that was anything but polite. "But who exactly are you?"

"Oh, I’m Ling Yao and these are my friends, Lan Fan and Fu," he gestured widely to his friends, who both gave a tight nod at Ed in greeting.

There was a sudden rush of warm air in the kitchen at Winry opened the oven, one hand with a tea towel pulled over it to pull out her famous apple pie.

"A quest sounds exciting," she said, half-earnestly, but half in the tone of a teacher amusing a student. She placed the pie down and waved her spatula at Ed playfully as she asked. "Why don’t you ever take us on quests, Ed?"

"Sure, Winry," Ed rolled his eyes, flicking the spatula away. "What would you like - the Holy Grail or the Philosopher’s stone?"

"Get the plates out, please," was her only reply, a small smile still on her face.

"What are you searching for?" Al asked, pulling the mismatched plates out of the cupboard before Ed could and handing them to Winry.

For a moment, everything about Ling Yao shifted. His body, before completely relaxed, suddenly seemed tense. He regarded the three of them calculatedly. For a moment, it looked like he wasn’t going to tell them.

"We’re looking for the cure," he said slowly after a long time.

Upon seeing their confused faces, Lan Fan added in a disinterested voice,

"The cure to lycanthropy."

Ed and Al exchanged a glance. The glance turned to Winry, serving up the apple pie and she gave them a steady look in return.

"Oh?" she asked politely, but a tense air had come over the three of them.

"Yeah, we didn’t want anyone else to get to it first," Ling spoke conversationally, as though discussing the weather. "You see, if I go back to Xing with a cure," here he paused to take a bite of pie. "I get control who gets to stay a werewolf. Can you imagine that power?"

"Yeah," Ed said dryly. "It sounds pretty awful."

Lan Fan’s eyes narrowed at him, but Ling seemed to blissfully ignore the sarcasm, tucking into Winry’s pie like a child; not someone talking about controlling other people’s lives.

"Come on," Ling continued, waving a fork in the air. "I know you guys would want control of this just as much as I do."

"We have control," Winry said, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Ed. "Or, at least, we have a system."

Ling smiled at them like he didn’t believe a word.

"It’s true," Al added. "I never thought I could deal with it, but it turns out we’re closer than ever when we’re a pack."

"Oh, you misunderstand," Ling said. He waved a hand in the air. " _I_ don’t want to give it up, but half of Xing do, I just thought that you guys would be the same."

"I haven’t been a werewolf very long," Winry spoke slowly, slipping off her oven mitts. "But I couldn’t imagine life without my boys."

She handed Ed his slice of pie and pecked his cheek. He tried not to smile like the lovestruck fool that he was. (With mixed results.)

"You sure are in the minority then," Ling shrugged, leaning back in his chair.

"Most people see it as a curse," Lan Fan added in her harsh tone.

"And curses are meant to be broken," Ling said, still smiling.

Lan Fan’s eyes flickered away and Ed wondered if he had been that obvious about his crush on Winry. And whether she had been as oblivious as Ling.

Surely not.

Ed didn’t want to tell Ling that at first he had thought the exact same thing. For years he had wasted time searching for the antidote, hating himself for being the very thing that killed his mother. But then things had changed. He had gotten used to it. Started to test his boundaries. Ran into Mustang, got in a fight, joined their pack. And then…well the rest was recorded here. It didn’t seem like a curse any more.

Not a blessing either. But not necessarily a bad thing. Just life.

"Thanks for your offer," he managed to say to Ling now, and succeeding in sounding somewhat genuine. "But I think we’re good."

"It’s a bummer," Ling continued. His persistence was to be admired, or found irksome. "You guys seemed like you’d be great to work with."

There was a pause in the room. Fu, silent till now, mumbled to Winry that it ‘really was a great pie, young lady. Well done.’ Winry had turned carnation pink and stammered a ‘thank you’. Ed had smiled at her like she was his entire world.

Then Ling creaked his chair as he leant back once more, looking at all of their faces once more.

" _Sure_ I can’t convince you?" Ling asked.

Ed took one look at his brother, and another at his girlfriend - soon to be wife. Despite what he had first thought. Despite what _they_ had first thought, they had come a long way. A long way they wouldn’t have come if things hadn’t happened exactly as they had. It had been angsty. painful. Torturous. And terrifying at times.

Regardless, in the last month, he was the happiest he had ever been.

He knew, without a doubt, the answer to that question.

"No way. I wouldn't change who I am for the world."

* * *

 

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Thank you for reading the fic in it's entirety! It really means a lot to me! It was a lot of fun to write! Even though it was huge!! I have a couple of notes and things to go through so please bare with me for a moment longer!  
> Firstly, as part of the challenge, I had two wonderful artists working with me - hekla-chan - whose piece is here: http://hekla-chan.tumblr.com/post/152594823634/so-exited-to-be-in-the-fma-fandom-challenge-%E3%83%BD and kasiokami - whose piece is here : http://kasiokami.tumblr.com/post/152575205821/heres-my-piece-for-the-fma-fandom-challenge It would mean a lot to me, and them, if you could reblog and support them!  
> If you enjoyed, please leave a kudos and some feedback - it's really nice and motivating for an author!  
> \- Full moons typically last for three days, so I followed this in the fic.  
> -My main website of reference was here: https://livingwithwolves.org/about-wolves/language/


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